Sicilian Pasta con le Sarde
Recipe type: Pasta
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb (450 g) whole fresh sardines
  • a bunch of wild fennel (or 3 baby fennel bulbs, fronds included)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • a handful of Zante currants
  • 3 anchovy fillets
  • ⅓ cup (40 g) pine nuts
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 320 g bucatini pasta
  • 2 Tbsp toasted breadcrumbs
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions
  1. Clean sardines: Rinse sardines under cold water, gently scraping the skin toward the head to remove the scales. Remove head by pulling it backward, toward the spine. Hold the fish with one hand and with the other, pull the backbone from the head, carefully lifting it up and away from the fillet; discard it. Rinse each fillet under cold water and set aside.
  2. Discard rough parts of wild fennel and boil fronds in water for a few minutes until softer (if using regular fennel, cook it until tender - about 10 minutes). With a slotted spoon, drain fennel, reserving cooking water. Roughly chop fennel.
  3. Sauté chopped onion until translucent, add anchovies, pine nuts, zante currants, chopped fennel. Cook for a few minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add ½ cup or more of cooking water and let it evaporate (you'll want to get a moist condiment). In a small glass mix saffron with a bit of water and then add to the pan containing the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Cook bucatini pasta in the cooking water you reserved. While pasta is boiling, add chopped sardines in the pan containing the condiment. Cook for few minutes (you don't want the sardines to be over-cooked).
  5. When pasta is al dente, drain it and toss it in the pan (reserving a cup of cooking water). Mix well and sprinkle with some toasted breadcrumbs. Add cooking water as needed, to prevent the pasta to become dry. Let it rest a couple of minutes and serve.
Recipe by Very EATalian at https://www.veryeatalian.com/sicilian-pasta-with-sardines/